Phoenix bounce back and spook the Phantoms
9:06pm Monday 12th December 2011 in News
by Mike Appleton
EPL ICE HOCKEY:
Peterborough Phantoms 3 Manchester Phoenix 4
JURAJ Faith bagged a brace as Manchester Phoenix recorded a vital 4-3 win over Peterborough Phantoms.
The 35-year-old took his season tally to 14 last night as his side bounced back from a 5-3 loss at home to Guildford Flames on Saturday.
Phoenix got off to a great start when Tom Duggan fired them ahead after just 63 seconds.
Faith then scored twice in 89 second period seconds – tagging on to Ladislav Harabin and James Neil's feed for his first – before he used James Archer for the second.
That made it 3-0 by the 23rd minute but Richard Bentham dragged the Phantoms back into it.
It was a temporary blip as five minutes later Slava Koulikov grabbed his tenth of the season thanks to cute work from Duggan and Martin Cingel.
Peterborough weren't going to give up though and they piled pressure on Stephen Fone's goal.
He turned aside 17 of 18 shots in the period, but in the third Nathan Pollard added the home side's second.
And on 51 minutes it was a one-goal game as Bentham notched his second before he was give a ten minute misconduct penalty.
But Fone was equal to whatever was thrown at him and despite Damien King being pulled for the extra skater, Phoenix had done enough.
The results leave Phoenix fifth, ten points behind Guildford in the English Premier League.
They are also one point behind in the EPL Cup standings and will need to beat Milton Keynes at home next weekend and hope results go their way if they are to make the Semi Finals.
